Selective agent for concentrating ores



Patented Oct. 28, 1930 PATENT OFFICE BOYER LUCKENBACH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK SELECTIVE AGENT FOR GONCENTRATING OBES No Drawing.

The present invention relates to the recovering of ores and embodies, particularly, an improved method for separating the mineral from its ore. In the copending application .6 of Boyer Luckenbach, Serial No. 322,588,

filed November 28, 1928, for method of concentrating ores, there is described a method for separating the mineral from its ore, as well as an improved'selective material em- 1 ployed in such method, this material serving to concentrate the mineral in the ore while repelling and discarding the earthy and rocky content commonly called gangue. The present invention embodies an improved method which is analogous in efiect to the above method and employs a different selective substance made in accordance with the following description.

As stated in the above application, the mineral content-of ore is, by nature, oily. The earthy or flinty content, known as gangue, is not oily and is easily wetted by grinding the ore and mixing it intimately with a selective substance which is oily by nature. The oily portion of the ore, WhlCll is the portion to be concentrated, is attracted by reason of its like characteristics to the oily selective substance, while the gangue is repelled and quicklynwetted. Separation of the selective substance naturally results in removing the valuable mineral content of the ore from the gangue and its reduction into a pure metallic state thus becomes quite an easy matter.

An object of this invention is to provide a substance which may be used as a selective material in the method of ore separation described above, the material elfectively concentrating the entire valuable material contentof the ore, at the same time being readily and cheaply manufactured.

In accordance with this object, it is contemplated that the selective agent be very powerful, not only having a great aiiinity for the few precious metals but forrpractically all of the. baser metals including their oxides and carbonates. It is further contemplated that this selective agent repel the gangue, thus efiectively separating and concentrating the ore. 3

Application filed December 21, 1928. Serial No. 327,760.

In carrying out the inventioma selective material is utilized which is composed of a heavy petroleum oil of an asphaltum base in combination with an animal oil or grease, such as horse grease oil, lard oil or tallow oil. The heavy petroleum or asphaltum oil acts as the mineral selector while the animal oil or grease serves to repel the gangue and waste iron content of the ore. These ingredients are mixed in proportions of seven parts of heavy asphalt-um base oil and two parts of horse grease oil. Since.

these ingredients mix readily, it is only nec-,

essary that care be taken to mix sufliciently to cause the heavy asphaltum base oil to be uniformly thinned by the horse grease" oil.

This compound is placed as a thin coating upon'the surface of a continuously moving belt, the application of the com ound to the belt preferably being accomp ished automatically during operation. A suitable apparatus for use in this connection is described-inthe U. S. patent to Boyer Luckenbach, No. 1,448,928, dated March 20, 1923.

In accordance with best engineering practice, it is also desirable to effect the removal of the selective agent combined with the mineral content of the ore automatically by means ofa suitable scraper beneath the belt. By reason of the weight and coarseness of the mineral, the latter sinks instead of floating when the ore is ground to a finely divided state and mixed with water. Since the selective agent is beneath the solution of ore and water, the mineral content of the ore is additionally attracted by the selective substance while thegangue is repelled, thus causing the latter to float while the mineral content of the ore is attracted and adheres to the selective agent. In this manner the gangue is easily removed and the selective agent, together with the recovered mineral, removed from the belt.

In view of the powerful aflinity of the selective agent for the mineral content of the ore, the latter need only be ground to approximately 30 mesh, all existing methods in use requiring the grinding of the ore to approximately or mesh; Since the grinding of the ore requires a great amount of power, particularly where it is to be finely ground, this saving in power alone is very considerable. The selective agent may be recovered by means of a filter press and used indefinitely, thus afiording another great saving over the existing oil flotation methods.

It has been found that the ingredients of the selective agent utilized in the present method may be varied somewhat in accordance with the availability or practicability of certain classes of oils or tars. For instance, an animal, vegetable or mineral base, such as any oil or tar or residuum oil of a paraffin or asphaltum base may be used if previously treated with silicate of soda or silica gel. This substance may be substituted for the asphaltum base oil and, in practice, it has been found that coal tar or pine tar treated with silicate of soda efiectively serves as a selective substance in the place of the heavy petroleum oil of an asphaltum base. It has further been found that a soft asphaltum oil may be used if suitably thinned with any one of the animal oils described, preferably horse grease oil.

As a thinner for the heavy asphaltum base oil, a substitute for the horse grease oil has been found to be a thin petroleum 'oil previously treated with silicate ofsoda, this substance serving admirably to repel the gangue and waste iron while attracting the desirable mineral content of the ore.

Although the invention has been described in connection with the specific ingredients stated herein, it is obvious that other oils, having the characteristics set forth above, may be substituted for the ingredients of the selective agents described herein, and the invention is not to be limited, save as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A selective agent for use in recovering ores comprising a heavy petroleum oil of an asphalt base and horse grease oil mixed therewith in the proportions of seven parts of the heavy asphaltum base oil to two parts of the horse grease oil.

2. A selective agent for use in recovering ores comprising a heavy petroleum oil of an asphalt base and horse grease oil.

This specification signed this 20th day of December,.A. D. 1928.

ROYER LUCKENBACH. 

